About THE Program

The Trail Area Health & Environment Program is a comprehensive, community-led program with 5 main areas of activity: Family Health, Home & Garden, Air Quality, Parks and Wildlands, and Property Development. Our mission is to promote people’s health and a healthy environment, with a focus on preventing children’s exposure to lead.

The Air Quality Program reduces smelter emissions and makes the largest contribution to achieving health and environment goals. All our activities work together to get the best results – lower exposure, lower health risks, and a healthier environment.

The Trail Area Health & Environment Committee (THEC) oversees the program. THEC is a partnership between the local community, Teck, the Ministry of Environment, and Interior Health. Over the past 25 years of successful collaboration, children’s blood levels in Trail have reduced significantly and air quality has greatly improved. THEC’s community-led partnership has been recognized internationally as an effective collaborative model for safeguarding health and the environment. In 2011 the program received a Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Award for Partnership.